


sunflowers

by bettersounds (thebadguyswin)



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Gen, High School, and rice krispie cakes at some point, but we here, clothes don't have a gender here or anywhere in fact, high school age at least, i had no fucking clue when i started what was gonna happen with this, there's a park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 16:29:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9393677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebadguyswin/pseuds/bettersounds
Summary: There’s not a lot to do in the summertime.





	

There’s not a lot to do in the summertime.

Between the end of one academic year and the beginning of the next, there’s not a lot to do.

Some people get jobs at local stores or cafes. Some people go travelling with friends or family, for a week or month or so. Some people go to summer school to get ahead for the following year.

Some people, however, do nothing. That’s how it goes in Tyler’s hometown, anyway. It’s a small town, situated in between two slightly larger towns, which in turn aren’t too far away from a major city. There’s not a lot to do in the summertime, so a lot of people do nothing.

That’s what Tyler’s doing right now. He’s lying on his back, soft grass moulding into his shoulder blades and tickling the bare skin of his neck. Arms straight by his sides, hands flat on the ground. He stares up at a bright blue sky with wispy white clouds and a blinding sun just beginning to sink west. He’s doing nothing.

The park he’s in is a well visited park. Real estate agents praise it when they show potential property buyers around the area.

“Great for young kids.” They say.

“Great for dog owners.” They say.

“A great public amenity.” They say.

They’re not wrong. The park is big and green and leafy, and there’s a lake with swans and rowboats. Kids love to play ball games on the stretches of grass, and there’s always a background noise of yipping dogs and jingling collars.

Tyler doesn’t care for any of that, though. Sure, he spots the odd Frisbee being thrown out of the corner of his eye, and he can hear children laughing, but that’s unavoidable.

Tyler just likes to lie on the grass. Just for an hour or two whenever he can. He likes seeing the different hues the sky can turn, and the shapes in the clouds, and how the sun creeps so slowly across the sky. He likes the lack of pressure or urgency he feels when he does this. No one bothers him, and he bothers no one. It’s nice.

This is what Tyler is doing right now, and it’s about to be the first time he is bothered. “Bothered” might be an exaggeration, “accidentally disturbed” is more accurate.

Tyler is aware of groups of people sitting on the same expanse of grass as he is. Families with picnics spoon feeding toddlers. Young kids playing trading card games. Teenagers playing music from their phones and resting their heads on bundled up sweatshirts.

It’s one of these groups of teenagers which kicks up a raucous with little warning. A female voice, Tyler assumes, squeals, “Give it back!” Then a male voice laughs, and there’s a sound of scuffling, then feet hitting the grass as they run. Tyler doesn’t look away from the sky, and stays laying down. The commotion doesn’t concern him, so he doesn’t pay it any attention.

Then suddenly, it does concern him. He feels something smack against his shin, then he hears a thud, followed by a triumphant cheer from the female. Tyler lazily glances away from the sky to one side, unimpressed, frowning, and mildly irritated.

A boy. A pink-faced boy. A yellow-haired, pink-faced boy. A yellow-haired, pink-faced boy wearing black ripped denim shorts and heavy combat boots and a midnight blue button-up shirt with stairs and moons embroidered into the fabric. A yellow-haired, pink-faced boy lying face down on the grass next to him. A girl with pink hair is scrabbling at his fingers to retrieve what Tyler assumes is her phone from his grasp. He’s laughing and pushing himself to his feet, and she’s strutting triumphantly back to the group of friends. Two other guys and three other girls shake their heads and giggle.

“Sorry.” The yellow-haired boy laughs and dusts his bare knees. “Didn’t see you there.”

Tyler levers himself up on his elbows and shrugs awkwardly. “No big deal. You’re not hurt?”

“Nah.” The other guy smiles. “I’m a tough one.”

Tyler glances from the top of his head to his toes. ‘Tough’ is not a word Tyler would use to describe him at all.

“Sure you are.” Tyler nods, and rests back down on the grass. He expects the other guy to go back to his friends, but he can see out of the corner of his eye that his unexpected guest is still standing beside Tyler.

“What’re you doing?” He asks. His head pops into Tyler’s peripheral vision, blotting out the sun. The rays gleam around his edges, catching on his yellow hair and casting his face into a shadow. He reminds Tyler of a saint in a renaissance painting.

“Nothing.” Tyler replies.

“Nothing?” His head tilts and he continues to look down.

“Nothing. Cloud-watching. Lying down. Converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Someone’s gotta do it.”

The yellow-haired guy chuckles. “I guess.”

Tyler shrugs as best he can when he’s lying down and not paying much attention to his visitor, and rests a hand on his stomach, his fist scrunching up the fabric of his loose t-shirt.

“You come here often?” He asks.

Tyler wants to ask, “ _Why are you still here?”_ Instead, he replies, “Here and there.”

The other guy scuffs his boot near Tyler’s knee and nods. “Cool.”

“Hey, Josh!” Someone from his friend group is calling out. “Ice cream?”

Tyler squints and peers over to the source of the noise. They’re all standing up and unfolding jackets and dusting off their rears.

“Sure thing!” He calls back. He looks back down at Tyler. “You wanna come?” Josh gives Tyler’s calf a little kick. “I’m Josh, by the way.”

“Tyler.” Tyler replies. It’s only polite. “And no, thanks. I’m good.” He returns his attention to the sky.

“Okay.” Josh presses his lips together and shrugs. “Okay, cool. See you around, Tyler.”

“Sure.” Tyler mutters, and Josh stumbles away to his laughing group of friends. Tyler sighs, and stretches to put one arm behind his head. It’s peaceful again, and Tyler likes it.

* * *

 

It’s overcast today. Still warm, and Tyler can still see the bright glow of the sun behind white clouds. There’s a grey-ish, orange-ish glow near the horizon, threatening a storm in the not too distant future. The air is heavy and humid, and a little bit stifling. But Tyler’s still watching the sky, tracing the dents and shadows in the clouds.

The park is quieter, as a result of the dull weather, but that just means Tyler can pick out details of conversations and interactions instead of them all blurring into one continuous background noise. A dog’s paws clacking on tarmac, a child whining that their new shoes are rubbing their toes, someone laughing at a friend’s joke.

The laughter sounds familiar. Tyler ignores it.

“Josh, quit it!” A familiar female voice. Scuffling. Tyler ignores it.

“Why?” A mocking voice. “If you like her so much, I’m doing you a favour.”

“Because… I… Just quit it!”

More scuffling. Tyler sits up and faces the direction of the noise.

They’re sitting a few metres away from Tyler. A yellow-haired scrabbling with a pink-haired girl for a phone again, but this time the boy has his knee on her chest, pinning her to the ground while he types into the phone. They’re alone, this time.

Josh’s hair glows in the dim sunlight, brighter and so blatantly artificial in comparison to anything in the park. His shirt is honestly one of the ugliest things Tyler has ever seen. It’s a black vest with zebra print on the hem and on a pocket, and the arm holes are too big.

“You’ll thank me later. Possibly at your marriage ceremony. I expect an invite.” He locks the phone, takes his knee off the girl’s chest, and tosses the phone gently onto the grass beside her.

“What did you say?” She huffs, sitting up too, and frantically scrolling through what Tyler assumes is her messages. “You didn’t…” She glares at her friend. Her hand runs through her hair. It’s a washed-out, pastel pink colour.

He just shrugs. “What’d she say?”

The girl pauses, frowns, and blushes. She locks her phone and drops it to the ground. “She said okay.”

The boy breaks out into a grin. “Told ya.”

The girl lands a punch on Josh’s bare arm, and his pained reaction and yelp are not feigned or exaggerated. “The fuck? I did you a favour.”

“You’re a dick, Josh.”

Another toothy grin. “I know.”

Tyler scowls and flops onto his back again. Josh seemed obnoxious, unfunny, self-entitled, a complete dick, as his friend had put it. Maybe Tyler _had_ only seen him on two occasions, but Tyler was okay at reading people. Most of the time.

He’s deliberately oblivious to the rest of their conversations, keeping his eyes fixed upwards and listening to his own breathing. He thinks about bringing earphones next time he wants to visit the park, to drown out surrounding noises. But sometimes he likes the noises of the park.

Ten minutes, maybe half an hour, maybe an hour passes. The darkened clouds begin to creep across the sky, and the air gets heavier. Tyler stands, dusts his legs down, and decides to call it a day. He has to walk somewhat near to Josh and his friend to exit the park, unfortunately, so Tyler grits his teeth and heads that way.

“Hey.”

Tyler hears Josh call out to him. He could pretend he didn’t hear, and keep walking, and never speak to him ever again. But his legs stop automatically, the way they do when you know someone’s just tried to get your attention. If he kept going, it’d be obvious he was deliberately ignoring Josh.

So he stops, and glances over to the two. “Me?”

“Yeah.” Josh smiles and nods. “Tyler, right?”

Tyler nods, looking everywhere but at Josh and his friend. “Can I help you?”

“Uh, no.” Josh pouts. “I guess you’re on your way home or whatever.”

Tyler nods. “Yeah, got places to be.” He lies.

“Cool.” Josh pulls at some blades of grass. His friend squints and glances between the two of them. “See ya around.”

Tyler furrows his brow and sniffs. “Yeah. Sure. See ya.” He starts to leave again, then stops. “Storm’s on its way.” He nods towards the darkening horizon. “Don’t wanna get caught in that.” He ducks his head and walks quickly away.

He doesn’t see Josh’s cheeks turn ever so slightly pink, and lips curve ever so slightly into a smirk.

* * *

 

Tyler remembers his headphones a lot more now. Sometimes he puts them in his ears but doesn’t play any music, and he realises people talk a lot more freely when they think he isn’t able to hear them. A whining child is scolded, instead of babied. A man talks to his dog as they walk by. And a group of teenagers, they start talking _about_ Tyler.

Tyler closes his eyes, and focuses on what he can hear.

“Him? That guy?” The pink-haired girl.

“Yeah, so?” Josh?

“That guy who spends all day sunbathing…” A different voice Tyler doesn’t recognise.

 _So they are talking about me_. He thinks. He’d guessed as much, but this confirmed it.

“Yeah.”

“You said hi like, once.” Another male.

“I know _that_.”

The other guy again. “Don’t you have to like, talk to someone a lot more to like them?”

“Jeez, Dallon. I don’t know, maybe. I’m just saying I think he’s hot.”

“Nuh, we were talking about who we’d like to ask out. You said you’d ask him out.” The pink-haired girl interjects.

“Yeah, because he’s hot.”

“Josh, you slut.” ‘Dallon’ laughs.

Josh snorts. “I’m not saying I’d fuck him. And anyways,” A yelp from Dallon and a loud smack. “Even if I did, there ain’t anything wrong with that.”

“You got me there.”

Tyler peeks through his eyelashes. Josh is staring at the ground, sitting cross-legged, picking at the grass. Dallon, a boy with dark brown hair in a plaid shirt, is clutching his knee and scowling. A closer look reveals Josh is picking at daisies and threading them into a chain. Tyler exhales, and goes back to not paying attention.

“So?” Tyler hears the girl ask.

“So what?” Josh replies.

“Go talk to him.”

“He’s listening to musi- hey!” Josh sounds startled.

Another peek through his eyelashes, Tyler sees that Josh has been shoved over onto his side. Tyler shuts his eyes again.

“Alright, alright.” Josh sounds defeated. “I’m going.”

A pause, a shuffle, and Tyler feels the woosh of air as Josh plops himself down beside him. Tyler opens his eyes, and looks confusedly at Josh, feigning surprise.

“Hey.” Josh smiles. The daisy chain has been joined together at the ends, and rests gently on top of his bright yellow hair. Tyler is a little impressed the colour hasn’t faded yet.

“Can I help you?” Tyler tugs his earphones out of his ears and puts his arm behind his end, not bothering to sit up.

“I… Uh…” Josh tucks his knees against his chest. He’s wearing lace-hemmed legging shorts and an oversized grey t-shirt. Those heavy boots are still on his feet. “I dunno.”

Tyler raises his eyebrows. “You don’t know?”

Josh just shrugs, and picks at the grass.

Tyler sits up, huffing as the motion pushes air out of his lungs. “I like your flower crown.” Tyler offers Josh a lifeline in the form of a conversation starter. He doesn’t care if Josh thinks he’s hot or not. He doesn’t know the guy, and Tyler feels pretty indifferent about getting to know him. But he’s polite.

Josh smiles a little at Tyler’s compliment, though, and softly touches the petals resting on his hair. A blush creeps across his cheekbones.

“Thanks. You want one?” He starts picking at the daisies around him. “You’d suit one.”

Tyler giggles softly. “I guess, sure. Why not?” He watches as Josh begins to thread them together. “You’re good at making them.”

“I get loads of practise.” Josh squints as he works, nimble fingers pinching and pulling. From this proximity, Tyler can see Josh's nails are painted a dusty pink colour. The same pinkish colour as his nail beds, but smoother and shinier. “Plus, they look cute.”

“Matches your hair, too.” Tyler adds. “The yellow, I mean.”

“Yeah.” Josh laughs. “I’ve had all kinds of colours… Blue, purple, red, pink. I like yellow though. It’s bright. Eye-catching. Like sunflowers.”

“It sure is. I like sunflowers.” Tyler picks blades of grass and knots them together, just so he has something to do with his hands.

“Me too. They’re probably my favourite. I’m done.” Josh announces, holding up a small but well-formed daisy chain. “You don’t have hay fever or allergies, right?” When Tyler shakes his head, Josh drapes the chain over his head. “Like a little flower halo.” Josh bites his bottom lip.

“Thanks.” Tyler checks his reflection in his phone screen, and laughs. “Cute.”

“Yeah.” Josh breathes, then clears his throat. “So, uh. What’re you listening to?” Josh nods towards the earphones still plugged into the jack on Tyler’s phone.

“Uh.” Tyler glances away quickly. _Nothing_. “Just some stuff.”

“Like?” Josh prompts.

Tyler shrugs. “Stuff.”

“Can I see?”

Tyler swallows, and hands over his unlocked phone. Josh opens up the music player and scrolls through the artists. He nods approvingly at some, frowns at others, and even snorts at a couple.

“Not bad. Not great, but not bad. I don’t recognise this guy. Who’s Tyler Joseph?”

“Uuuh.” Tyler snatches his phone back. “No one. He’s no one. Some local… Local singer… I got a free song off Soundcloud one time. Must’ve gotten on my phone somehow.”

Josh tilts his head. “Huh.” He pouts. “Maybe I should look him up. Is he any good?”

“Don’t bother.” Tyler says quickly. “He kinda sucks.”

“But he’s on your phone?” Josh sounds accusing. He is accusing.

Tyler tears at the grass a little more. “A mistake, honestly.”

“Okay.” Josh doesn’t push it any further. “So, you wanna get ice cream or something?”

 _Ah_. Tyler thinks. _There it is_. He glances at the group of friends still behind them. They’re doing an awful job of pretending not to listen to every word they’ve been saying. He doesn’t want to. But he doesn’t want to be mean.

“I, um.” Tyler stammers. “I… I gotta do some shit… But I, uh, maybe some other time?” He offers weakly.

Josh nods, biting the inside of his cheek and nodding. “Okay. Okay cool. No worries. I just, uh… If you wanted to hang out some time.”

“Uh, sure. Maybe. Some other time.” Tyler reties his shoe laces and tightens them.

“Okay, cool.” Josh stands up shakily, adjusting legs of his shorts. Tyler notes his calf muscles, and the soft wisps of hair covering them. His too-long boot laces are wrapped around his ankles a couple of times and tied in a bow. “No worries.” He goes back to sit with his friends, shoulders slumped and feet dragging. They look apologetic, and begin to offer comfort in hushed voices. He shrugs them off and goes back to joking around. Tyler pretends not to notice how forced it looks.

Tyler sighs to himself, sticks his earbuds back in and stands up. He selects the artist ‘Tyler Joseph’ to listen to as he walks home. His own voice screams back at him with every step.

* * *

 

About a week later, Tyler walks to the store. His little sister has a soccer game that afternoon, and he wants to surprise her with rocky road bites. He’s not a great cook, so melting chocolate and stirring in rice krispies is just about the best he can do, but it’s better than nothing.

He buys the ingredients, and holds the paper bag in both arms as he starts his walk home. His earbuds are stuck in his ears, and he’s listening to some band he kind of likes. It doesn’t matter what he’s listening to, just as long as it’s something.

This is what he’s doing when he decides to jaywalk to save time. The crossing is all the way at the end of the street, but the field he wants to cut across is directly opposite him. So he steps out onto the road, not really paying attention, focussing on not dropping the paper bag and the drumbeat hammering against his eardrums.

He doesn’t notice anything at all, not until he feels a hand grab the crook of his elbow and tug him backward sharply. Then he feels a rush of air as he stumbles back, and hears a loud honk from the car that just whizzed barely two inches away from him.

Tyler looks around frantically, breathing hard and trying not to feel like he’s dying. A yellow-haired boy stares back at him, his eyes wild and his face flushed. Tyler tugs at the cord at his neck, letting the earphones drop into the paper bag on top of a bag of marshmallows.

“What the fuck.” Tyler manages to say that, at least.

“What the fuck? That’s what you say when I just practically saved your life?” Josh raises his eyebrows and pulls Tyler across the road onto the sidewalk. “You nearly got annihilated by that truck.”

Tyler looks at the red pick-up currently halted at the crossroads. It had been going pretty fast, and it was a big car. It would’ve done a fair amount of damage.

“Sorry.” Tyler says sheepishly. “Music. Wasn’t paying attention.”

Josh nods, a little confused. “Maybe, next time you jaywalk, pay attention?” He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans. A red plaid shirt hangs unbuttoned over a white shirt.

Tyler realises he’s trembling, and steadies the paper bag in one hand to run the other through his hair. “Yeah, probably should um, do that. Thanks, by the way. Would’ve sucked to let my sister down.”

“If you’d been smeared across the road?” Josh laughs, and his tongue pokes between his teeth. Cute.

Tyler smirks, and shakes his head. He nods into the bag. “Making her a treat for after her game.” He explains quickly. “All that running around and no reward? No thanks.”

Josh peers in and spies the candies, marshmallows, and cereal. “Rice krispie treats? Sick.” He breathes.

“Uh, yeah.” Tyler shifts on his feet. “Anyway, I should being going.” He takes a step back. His stomach lurches as he sees Josh’s face fall a little.

“Sure. See you around, Ty.” Josh wrinkles his nose and goes to leave.

 _Say something, idiot_. Tyler can’t ignore the little voice in his head. “Hey, uh.” Tyler starts. The nickname has thrown him off. It makes Josh seem so familiar. It’s so clear that Josh wants to be friends, at least. Tyler doesn’t want to be a dick. “You wanna help me make them?” Tyler’s voice comes out surprisingly steady, despite his heart doing jumping-jacks in his chest. “Unless you’re busy, or something.” He adds quickly.

“I, uh.” Josh looks as surprised as Tyler feels. “I was just heading home but um, sure. If that’s okay with you.”

“I offered.” Tyler reasons.

“You did.” Josh laughs. “Yeah, you did.” He scuffs his boots. They’re rose-patterned. “Sure. Lead the way."

They walk. Tyler searches his brain desperately for something to talk about. He hates awkward silences. It doesn’t feel awkward, not yet. But he’s scared that it will.

“So, um.” Josh breaks the silence before Tyler manages to. “I searched that guy.”

“Guy?” Tyler frowns, trying to work out what Josh is talking about.

“That guy.” Josh continues. “On your phone. I know you said he was rubbish or whatever but… I was curious. And I disagree, by the way.”

Tyler swallows his panic and grips his paper bag just a bit tighter. “Oh. That guy.” This is a mistake. A horrible mistake.

“Yeah, the singer. Right.” Josh folds his arms as they walk. They’re only a couple of blocks from Tyler’s house. “I think he’s great, anyway.”

“Why?” Tyler can’t help asking why. His songs aren’t for everybody. Hell, they’re for himself. If anyone else likes them, it’s out of his control. Although, he wouldn’t upload them onto the internet if he didn’t want even one person to enjoy them. Probably.

“His music. It’s… real?” Josh shrugs. “It’s honest. I like it.”

“Okay. Cool.” Tyler nods. It feels weird having feedback. He doesn’t tend to read the comments he gets on his uploads. He watches the hit counter go up, but comments? That’s too much for him. “Maybe I should give him another chance.”

“Maybe.” Josh agrees.

Tyler’s front door is unlocked. His neighbourhood is a good neighbourhood. Ingredients slide out of the bag and onto the kitchen counter. He puts his phone on the speaker dock in the kitchen, selecting a playlist he made for when he has friends over. The music is easy to listen to and not controversial.

Josh doesn’t need to be told what to do. Krispie cakes are easy to make. Everyone was taught to make them at a young age, some way or another. Melt chocolate and marshmallows, stir in cereal and candies, smush it into a tray, decorate, leave it to set. It’s easy.

“Is this really the best thing to give someone who’s just done like, a lot of exercise?” Josh frowns at the gloopy mixture.

“A small child who’s gonna crash if she doesn’t get some kind of food? Yeah. She always nearly falls asleep in the car on the way home. One of these pitch-side and she’s conscious long enough to get home and eat some proper dinner.”

Josh stirs the mixture over a bain-marie and Tyler sprinkles in the other ingredients. Tyler smooths the mix into the container and Josh drizzles and sprinkles.

“Art.” Josh breaths, tipping almost a whole bag of chocolate buttons on top.

Tyler laughs and enjoys himself. He slides the tray into the fridge. It’s only then that he realises he doesn’t really have a plan of what to do with Josh after they’re finished.

“I should go.” Josh stretches, clicking his shoulders in the process. “I told my mom I’d find a job today. That was a fuckin’ lie.”

“Oh.” Tyler raises his eyebrows. “Okay. Cool. A summer job?”

Josh shrugs and shakes his head. “A job.” He chews a fingernail. “Dunno if I’m gonna make it through my final year of high school. Need something to live on.”

“Oh.” Tyler doesn’t have anything to say to that. “Good luck. Here.” He cuts out a square of not-really-set krispie cake and puts it in a food bag. “For your help.”

Josh laughs, and accepts. It’s already crumbling in the bag, but that’s okay. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” Tyler shows him to the door. He suddenly doesn’t want Josh to go, which is weird. “Hey, uh. Any time. You know. Like. If you wanna…”

Josh turns from his spot on the doorstep. He was just about to walk away. “Sure thing.” He smiles, seemingly at ease. It makes Tyler feel better.

“Cool.” He waves as Josh strolls down the street, yellow hair still glowing even as it fades into the distance.

* * *

 

Tyler records a song that night. In his basement, while his mom cooks dinner and his brothers play Mario Kart and his sister lies on the sofa watching them. Her legs are splattered with mud from the field, and the treats Tyler and Josh made were well received.

Tyler has enough time. He only needs and hour, maybe two. He has enough time. He’s been scribbling down words for weeks, since his last upload. His last song had been written in half an hour at four o’clock in the morning. It came easily to him then, he just wrote about not being able to sleep.

This song, though, needed more work. _Honest_. That’s what Josh had called his music. He hopes Josh finds this honest enough.

Tyler sings about feeling lost, feeling torn. Tyler sings about a taxi cab helping him find his way home. It feels honest. At least, he hopes it does.

He hits the upload button, and goes to eat dinner.

* * *

 

Tyler reads the comments the next morning. They’re all positive, in a way.

_Sick! You’re piano’s getting better bro._

_Cool._

_Wow, this is so beautiful!_

It’s not so bad reading the comments.

A guest user left a comment. It’s linked to a Facebook profile, and Tyler has to try really hard not to throw up. Bright yellow hair is visible in the small icon.

 ** _Josh Dun_** _: this is my favourite one so far, it’s got so much emotion in it? Well done buddy_.

It’s not so bad.

* * *

 

Tyler sits on the grass in the park. It’s the hottest day of the year so far, and there’s not a cloud in the sky. So there’s no point in cloud-watching today. Instead, Tyler reads the book he’ll be studying when he returns to high school in a few weeks. It’s his final year. Then he’ll be off to college, and the rest of his life. Weird.

A shadow falls over the pages of his copy of _The Picture of Dorian Grey_. Knees peeking through ripped jeans are at eye level. He looks up, and sees a face cast in shadow, but the sunlight streaming through strands of tousled yellow hair are a give-away.

“Hey, Josh.” Tyler sighs, snapping the book shut and resting it on the grass beside him.

“Hey.” Josh settles down beside him and crosses his legs. He slides a backpack off his shoulders and puts it next to Tyler’s book. A camouflage sleeveless shirt compensates for the thicker material of his jeans in this heat, but there are still beads of sweat clinging to Josh’s temples. Tyler’s grateful for his shorts and light t-shirt in this weather. He imagines Josh’s jeans are a commitment to his aesthetic rather than a practical clothing choice.

“You going somewhere?” Tyler nods towards the bag. It looks quite full.

Josh shakes his head. “I feel bad.”

“Why?” Tyler frowns.

Josh unzips the bag and pulls out notebooks. They’re leather, or maybe faux-leather, and there’s three of them. “I… Uh…” Josh clears his throat. He fiddles with a flower pendant on a long silver chain around his neck. “I saw your post, at your house. When you invited me over.”

“Huh?” Tyler scowls. So what? Everyone gets letters.

“Mr and Mrs C Joseph.” Josh says quietly. “Joseph.”

 _Oh_. Tyler thinks.

“Oh.” Tyler says.

“So.” Josh says quickly, before Tyler can process this properly. “I know your work. I, uh. I don’t usually show a lot of people this. Or anyone, for that matter. But, it’s only fair, I guess…” He flips open one of the notebooks. “…If you see mine.”

The first notebook is filled. Some drawings are, for want of a better term, doodles. Unfinished, making little sense, and messy. Tyler likes them. Some are planned, sketched, perfected, coloured. Drawings of people, Tyler recognises the friends Josh has hung around with before. Others are animals, cats and dogs and fish and birds. There are a lot of flowers. Tyler recognises the patterns of the flowers; Josh has been sketching the flowerbeds in the park and copying their layout. Tyler likes these too. The second notebook is filled in a similar way, while the third is only around a fifth filled.

Tyler flicks through every page, a smile on his face. He traces the soft lines with his finger tips on the pieces that are in ink or watercolours, and is careful around the smudged pastel or charcoal drawings.

“They’re so beautiful, Josh.” Tyler breaths, skimming his thumb pads over a vase of lilies on a green background.

“You think? I mean, I think I’ve gotten better, sure, but I don’t know if they’re great as such…” Josh babbles, rubbing his ear with his shoulder.

“They _are_ great.” Tyler asserts. “You didn’t have to share these with me but I’m glad you did. They’re so good.”

“I… Thanks…” Josh stammers. “I guess. Yeah.”

“You should be proud of these, I love them.” Tyler giggles. He’s found a large painting of sunflowers. It’s been done in acrylic paint, and moving the page too much would result in cracks forming. Josh had to keep his book open for a day and a half while it dried. But it’s so brightly coloured, and the petals and leaves are so shiny and textured, Tyler loves it. “This is so good.”

“Sunflowers, huh?” Josh bites his lip. “Yeah, my favourite.”

“Mine too.” Tyler frowns.

“That was for an artist study last year.” Josh explains. “Had to do an essay on someone of our choosing and do a piece inspired by him.”

“Let me guess, Van Gogh?” Tyler raises his eyebrows.

“You got me.” Josh hugs his thighs to his chest and nuzzles the gap between his knees. “Did okay on the essay, did better on the practical.”

“I’ll say.” Tyler smiles.

“Here.” Josh takes the notebook from him, and digs out a craft knife from his bag. One swift movement, and the paper is cut from the spine of the notebook. “Take it.”

Tyler looks at him, lips parted in surprise. “But… But you… your art…”

“…Has been kept safe and sound in that notebook for months. But it’s wasted there when it could have a loving home with you.” Josh smiles sweetly and holds the sheet out to Tyler. “You can have it. As thanks, for your songs.”

“My songs aren’t as good as your art.” Tyler scoffs, and tentatively takes the painting off Josh. “I’m gonna frame this shit. You couldn’t frame my songs.”

“Bull crap.” Josh snorts. “They’re different, but they’re still art. You should be proud, not ashamed.”

“I’m not ashamed.” Tyler protests, still holding the painting delicately in his hands. He’ll be able to slide it into his own bag to keep in flat and safe when he walks home.

“Then maybe next time, when someone asks you who the Tyler Joseph guy is in your music library…” Josh wrinkles his nose. “Maybe tell the truth?”

Tyler’s face burns beetroot red, and he shrugs. “Maybe. Okay, maybe I could do that. If I’m up to it. And the person isn’t a dick… like, no offence. But you might have been a dick about it.”

Josh laughs. “Yeah, maybe. But I wasn’t.”

“No.” Tyler agrees. He smiles and looks again at Josh’s painting of sunflowers. He never wants to stop looking at it. “No, you were not.”

“So we got a deal?” Josh holds out his hand for Tyler to shake. “You’ll stop being so anxious about your songs and be proud of them?”

Tyler tilts his head thoughtfully for a second. “Only if you don’t hide your art away.”

Josh pouts. “Fine. Deal.”

Tyler and Josh shake on it.

* * *

 

Tyler starts Facebook page for his music. He posts links to his songs on it. He films himself singing every now and then and posts in on YouTube, and links that too. Comments are positive, and he gets a lot of likes. There are some negative comments, but that’s okay. His songs are not for everyone, so not everyone has to like it.

Josh starts an Instagram account for his art. Works-in-progresses, afternoon doodles, and finished pieces are posted. Like Tyler’s songs, he gets good feedback. Like Tyler’s songs, some people don’t like his art. That’s okay. It’s not for everyone.

Tyler’s songs are in Josh’s iTunes library, and he loves them. Josh’s sunflowers are framed and propped up on Tyler’s desk in his bedroom, and he loves it.

Tyler loves his songs, and Josh loves his art. And that’s what really matters.

Weeks pass, then months. Tyler starts to realise he loves Josh more than he loves Josh's art. Josh realises he loves Tyler more than he loves Tyler's songs. And it's okay.

**Author's Note:**

> not to be soft but I literally just wanted to write something soft with sunflowers in it for a friend so this happened
> 
> she said she'd love it no matter what because I made it so here is the test
> 
> hope u enjoyed it
> 
> p.s. I opened a tumblr blog for requests etc go wild  
> http://better-sound.tumblr.com/ask


End file.
